The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-03-19
Che 9aily 8nllstim,
SATURDAY. MAR. 10, 1887.
EMlN BEY.
THE MAN STANLEY HAS GONE TO
RESCUE.

Beyond the fact that he is labor
| ing i'm the cause of civilization some
where in the Soudan, very little is
known in this country of Emin Bey.
Yet he is truly remarkable man.
1t is now eight years since General
Gordon appointed him Governor
General of the Egyptian Equatorial
Provinces, district SO large that
Great Britain would lie in n corner
of it. Emin Bey, who was an Aus
trian Doctor, started ON his work
without any flourish Of trumpets.
His task looked like an impossible
one, but Gordon was constantly
doing impossible" things himself
and expected as much of his lieu
tenants. When Emin Bey reached
the provinces he was to rule over If
he could reduce them to order, he
found things about as bad as they
could be. That was in 1878. In
three years he had swept the slave
traders out of that enormous tract of
land, with its 100000 inhabitants,
and these gentry have never dared
to show their faces since. The
provinces had SO far been governed
at deficit of f38,00O. per annum !;
by the end of 1881 there was sur
plus of $4,000. Although the Gov
ernor-General had established sew
eral public works in that time, the
expenses of which were considerable,
this surplus was not obtained by
more taxation. The change has
been brought about simply by good
government, economy and the sup
preston of abuses.
Then came the rumors of troubles
in the Soudan. Emin Bey was one
| of the first to foresee them, and to
suggest how they might be dealt
with. His advice was disregarded,
and he was told to attend to the
affairs of his own provinces. Then
came the Soudan war, and being
hopelessly beyond relief, Emin Bey
was first neglected and then forgot
ten. 1t is three years since he has
had any instructions of any kind
| from the Egyptian Government,
though in 1886 he managed once or
twice to communicate with them.
| As a rule what messages he sent to
Egypt or elsewhere have been inter-
cepted. All that is known Of his
life during these three years is de-
rived from few private letters to q
friend in this country. AS several
letters have been lost for the one
that has reached its destination, the
narrative is not continuous.
Emin Bey has more than held his
Town during these three years. There
has been fighting, but he has driven
the enemy back, sometimes after
terrible struggles. He has with him
J some four thousand troops, and this
is how he writes of them, referring
to one Of these conflicts when his
men were attacked from the north !:
"Deprived of the most necessary
things, for long time without any
pay, my men fought valiantly; and
when at last hunger weakened them,
when, after nineteen days Of in
credible privations and sufferings,
their strength was exhausted, and
when the last torn leather of the last
boot had been eaten, then they cut
a way through the midst of their
enemies and succeeded in saving
themselves" Now Emin Bey is no,
a General Gordon, but he is man
of Gordon's stamp; and when SC
modest and disinterested com.
mander writes in this fashion We
may be sure that his men have been
brave indeed. Now, do not let it be
thought that they stay there because
they have no option. Had Emir
Bey cared to leave the women and
children to their fate and the natives
to the slave-traders, he could have
cut his way with the pick of his mel
to the Congo. But Emin Bey
never thought of deserving his pos
because the Government had desert
ed him. Now, however, he coult
not withdraw, if he wished to do so
In his letters he said that he would
endeavor by economizing to MAKE
his ammunition last out this year
Without ammunition be is at thu
mercy of the first potsptate--sucl
as the King Of Uganda-who makes
up his mind to annex the provinces
| The brave Austrian makes no de-
mand on the British Government fol
help, but he sees and says that if {
rebel force could be sent to him i
would save his life and the provinces
In letter, pathetic in its simplicity
he expresses a hope that perhaps hi
friends will manage to do something
for him yet. All he needs is ammu
milton. He has worked so hard II
| Ia hot g., l.: